Harness-motion for looms.



No. 858,136. PATENTED'JUNE 25, 1907.

0. H-. ATKINS. HARNESS MOTION POR'LOOMS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14, 1906.

3 SHEETS-$111131 l- PATENTED JUNE 25, 1 907. 0. H. ATKINS. HARNESS MOTIUN FOR LOOMS APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14, 1906.

a sums-511mm 2.

No. 858,136. PATENTBD JUNE 25, 1907.

G.H. ATKINS. HARNESS MOTION FOR LOOMS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14, 1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 8.

E Kw UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

"HARNESS-MOTION FOR LOOMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 25, 1907.

Application filed June 14,1906. Serial No. 321.712.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLEs HENRY AT- KINS, a citizen of the United States of America, and a .resident of Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented cretain new and useful Improvements inHarness-Motions forLooms, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in harness motions for looms, and more particularly those which form a part of a loom for weaving wire cloth.

In a loom for weaving wire cloth, such as is suitable for paper machines, the harness frames are extremely long, and such frames together withthe thousands of heddles carried thereby are very heavy, and means of an uncommon character are required for moving the harness frames not only against the weight thereof and of the heddles, but also against the weight or resistance of an immense number of warp wires.

An object of this invention is to provide a mechanism for moving the harness frames for alternately changing the shed in the loom which is of simple character and construc tion, adequate power, and operable to carry the harness frames upwardly and downwardly to exactly the proper limits of their movements, for the required decussations of the warp wires, so that no variability may be permitted as to the points in which the lowered and raised harness frames may rest.

Another object of the invention is to render the harness frame actuating means capable of imparting slightly longer movements to the rear harness than to the forward harness for the most advantageous formation of the shed for weaving.

Other objects are attained in and by the organizations or arrangements of the parts.

In the subject matter of this invention is fundamentally comprised the combination with a motor having a backwardly and forwardly moving piston or element, a rock shaft,oonnected with and to be oscillated by said element,having forwardly and rearwardly extending arms, the harness frames, members connecting the upper portions of said harness frames with said for wardly and rearwardly extending arms, an equalizing lever below the harness frames, and members connected with the lower portions of the harness frames and with the arms of said equalizing lever; together with further parts and arrangements which are hereinafter fully described, and all as set forth in the claims.

The improved harness operating mechanism or harness motion is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figures 1 and 2 are together a substantially complete elevation as seen looking from the rear toward the beating up end of the loom. Figs. 3 and 4 are similar end elevations but showing the harness frames and the movable parts of the operating means therefor in their reversed extreme positions.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all of the views.

In the drawings,A represents a portion of the loom framegincluding the frame sides a (L,B and C representing the front and rear harness frames having the usual locations a short distance back of the breast beam.

D represents a comparatively long rock shaft having an elevated position and extending horizontally from one frame side to the other and supported in suitable bearings therefor. This rock shaft has forwardly and rearwardly extending radial arms or levers b and d rigidly affixed thereon, and b and d represent connectors secured to the extremities of the rock shaft arms by pivots f and to upper portions of the harness frames.

Below the harness frames, preferably directly under the connectors, are equalizing levers F, which are intermediately pivotally mounted on suitable supports j therefor; and to the extremities of these equalizing levers are pivotally connected the lower extremities of bracket bars g g which are rigidly affixed to, and extend downwardly below, the

under portions of the harness frames,each equalizing lever having connection with the forward and rearward harness frames at an appropriate point in the length thereof.

The aforementioned rock shaft has, preferably about midway between the frame sides, a rigidly affixed geartoothed element, which most practically is constructed in the form of a forwardly extended sector gear G in mesh with which is a small spur gear wheel or pinion H, which is fast on a horizontal shaft J, shown as at the same level, and parallel, with, and forward of the rock shaft D,-said shaft J being supported for partial rotary or rocking motions in bearings therefor provided on the loom frame. The said rock shaft J has at one of its extremities a comparatively short crank arm h for the connec- ICO tion therewith of means for swinging the crank backward and forward half a revolutionfrom a horizontal forwardly extending position, shown in Fig. 3, to a horizontal rearwardly extending position shown in Fig. 4;; and said means consists of a fluid pressure motor K which may be of any well known or approved type and construction, it being sufficient for the purposes of this invention to indicate that the motor shall have a piston or reciprocatory element, the backward and forward strokes of which are always of the same length; and i indicates the connecting rod for the piston of the motor, the upper end of which is pivotally connected to one arm j of a bell crank lever mounted for oscillation on a horizontal axis parallel with the rocking shafts D and J, in bearings therefor at the upper portion of one of the loom sides. And to the other arm j of said bell crank lever is pivotally secured a connecting rod or link m which is also pivotally connected to the extremity of the aforesaid crank 7i on the horizontal shaft J.

N represents the valve shaft which controls the ingress and egress of steam to and from opposite sides of the piston of the fluid pressure motor, said valve shafthaving an operating lever 0 thereon, secured to which is a connecting rod 0 vertically arranged and having its upper extremity secured to an intermediately pivoted lever 9 having at the free end thereof a roller g in bearing against the edge of a rotary cam r mounted on a shaft 8 at an upper part of the loom frame, it being understood that said cam shaft 8 has regular rotary motion imparted thereto by any suitable driving connections. trepresents aretracting spring for keeping the lever roller in constant contact on the cam.

The fluid pressure motor primarily controlled by the cam, on the upward stroke of its piston, causes an upward thrust of the connecting rod i and a swinging of the bell crank j, to swing the crank it to the forwardly extending horizontal position (dead center) indicated in Fig. 3, upwardly moving the sector gear G and rocking the shaft D so that its forward lever arm 5 is swung to its invariable limit of upward movement corre spondingly positively raising the forward harness frame; and the raising of the forward harness frame causes through the equalizing levers F the down drawing of the rear harness frame. The cam next changing the relative positions of the actuating connections,the crank 72, swinging through half a revolution to the dead center position,reversed and rearwardly extending, as shown in Fig. 4,the rock shaft D is reversely oscillated and causes the upward movement of the rear harness frame exactly to its proper limit, the forward harness frame being simultaneously through the equalizing lever drawn downwardly exactly to its lowermost limit.

The connectors b and d are, as shown, made with right and left screw threaded ex tremities t t and with polygonal central portions 79; the connectors having at their upper ends screw thread engagements with the members t which are directly pivotally hung on the rock shaft arms I) and (1, while at their lower ends they screw engage into the upwardly extending brackets g which are rigidly secured on the tops of the harness frames.

The support f in the upper extremity of which each equalizing lever is pivotally mounted, has a right and left hand adjusting screw it made with a polygonal central portion of, the same threading upwardly into the support f and downwardly into a receiving part therefor on the lower girth of the loom frame.

By turning the screw threaded parts of the upper connectors and the lower screws u, the harness frames may be adjusted to their proper heights and also leveled.

It is pointed out that the rear rock shaft arms (1 are slightly longer than the forward rock shaft arms 1) whereby the invariable extents of oscillations of the rock shaft D will cause slightly greater elevations and depressions of the rear harness frame than are given to the forward one, it also being perceived that the rearwardly extending arms of the equalizing levers are correspondingly slightly longer than the forward arms of such levers; and the warp wires at the points engaged by the heddles of the rear harness are moved vertically in opposite directions slightly farther than are the points engaged by the heddles of the harness slightly in advance thereof, for the proper making of the shed. It being perceived that when the harness frames are at the limits of the raised and lowered positions the relations of parts of the mechanism, for so positioning the harness frames, are as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, viz :with the connecting rod 'm on the dead line between the center of rock shaft J and the pivot connecting crank h with the said connecting rod m, at which time the fluid pressure motor would be non effective to move the bell crank j, 1' or crank h,but it will be explained that the warp wires are exerting forces with great power, the raised warps to downwardly draw the one harness, and the lowered warps to upwardly draw the other harness; and hence there is no practical liability of the harness motion becoming set or dead-locked as might without explanation be thought possible from an inspection of the illustrations of the actuating devices.

I claim 1. In a loom harness motion, the combination with a rockshaft having forwardly and rearwardly extending arms, a motor having a reciprocatory piston, an angular lever with one arm of which said piston is connected, a crank mounted for oscillation and having a gear wheel appurtenant thereto and a rod cured on said rock shaft and in mesh with said gear wheel, harness frames below the rockshaft and members connecting the upper portions of the forward and rearward harness frames with the said forwardly and rearwardly extending rock shaft arms and equalizing lever below the harness frames, and members connecting the arms of said equalizing lever with lower portions of the harness frames.

2. In a loom harness motion, the combination with a rock-shaft provided with forwardly and rearwardly extending arms, and means for imparting rocking movements to said shaft, of harness frames arranged along and below the rock shaft, connectors secured to the rock shaft arms and upper portions of the harness frames, an equalizing lever below the harness frames, members connecting the lower portions of the harness frames with said equalizing lever and a vertically adjustable support for the equalizing lever.

3. In a loom harness motion, the combination with a rock shaft provided with forwardly extending arms and rearwardly ex tending arms at different portions of its length, and means for imparting rocking movements to said shaft, of harness frames ranging along and below the rock shaft and rigid connectors comprising members which are endwise adjustable relatively to each other for longitudinally distending and contracting said connectors, and said connectors being secured to the upper portions of both'of the harness frames, and to the rock shaft arms, an equalizing lever below the harness frames, members connecting the lower portions of the harness frames with said equalizing lever and a vertically adjustable support on which the equalizing lever, is intermediately of its length, pivotally mounted.

4. In a loom harness motion, the combination with a rock shaft having forwardly and rearwardly ext ending arms, a motor having a reciprocatory piston, and a valve shaft, con-. trolling the motor and piston strokes thereof, having a lever arm, a rotary cam, a pivoted lever in engagement with the cam, a retracting spring for said lever, and a rod connecting said lever with said valve shaft 'lever arm, an angular lever with one arm of which said piston is connected, a crank mounted for oscillation and having a gear wheel appurtenant thereto and a rod connecting said crank with the other arm of said angular lever, a gear toothed element secured on said rock shaft and in mesh with said gear wheel, harness frames below the rock shaft and members connecting the upper portions of the forward and rearward harness frames with the said forwardly and rearwardly extending rock shaft arms and equalizing lever below the harness frame, and members connecting the arms of said equalizing lever with lower portions of the harness frames.

5. In a loom harness motion, the combination with a horizontal rock shaft ranging from side to side of the loom, having a plurality of forwardly and rearwardly extending arms, a motor having a reciprocatory piston, an angular lever with one arm of which said piston is connected, a shaft mounted for oscillation parallel with said rock shaft having a crank, and a pinion gear afiixed thereon, a rod connecting said crank with the other arm of said an ular lever, a section gear secured on said roc r shaft and in mesh with said pinion gear, harness frames lengthwise parallel with, and below, the rock shaft members connecting the upper portions of the harness frames with the said forwardly and rearwardly extending rock shaft arms, an equalizing lever below the harness frames, and members connecting the arms of said equalizing lever with lower portions of the harness frames.

6. In a loom harness motion, the combination with a motor having a backwardly and forwardly moving element, and a rock shaft connected with and to be oscillated by said element, and said rock shaft having forwardly and rearwardly extending arms, of the harness frames, and members connecting the upper portions of said harness frames with said forwardly and rearwardly extending arms, and means between the lower portions of the harness frames and operable to downwardly draw the elevated harness from the lifting of the lowered harness.

Signed by me at Springfield, Mass, in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES HENRY ATKINS.

Witnesses.

WM. S. BELLOWS, G. R. DRISOOLL. 

